Posted on Friday, June 5, 2020 in
Pork Recipes
Experience the bold, rustic taste of the Azores with this traditional Azorean torresmos de vinha d'alhos recipe. Made from fatty pork ribs marinated in crushed red pepper, garlic, paprika, and red wine, the meat is slowly cooked in lard or oil until melt-in-your-mouth tender. The long marination enhances its rich, smoky, and slightly spicy flavor, while gentle slow-cooking creates perfectly crisp edges and a juicy interior. This dish is a classic of Portuguese island cuisine, often served with boiled potatoes, crusty bread, or rice. Ideal for family gatherings or festive meals, these pork torresmos bring the authentic taste of Azorean heritage right to your table. Simple ingredients, traditional preparation, and unforgettable flavor—this is Portuguese comfort food at its finest.
| Preparation time | 15 min |
| Cooking Time | 3 h 15 min |
| Ready In | 6 h 15 min |
| Level of Difficulty | Easy |
| Servings | 6 |
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
| Calories | 865 |
| Fat | 77g |
| Carbs | 3g |
| Protein | 36g |
Ingredients
4 lbs of pork spare ribs (the fattest part)4 tablespoons or red crushed pepper5 crushed garlic cloves1 cup of red wine1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepperSalt (to taste)1/2 lb of lard or 1 cup of vegetable oil1 and 1/2 tablespoons of sweet paprika
Get Portuguese ingredients 
Preparation
- The day before, or at least 3 hours before, cut the ribs into large pieces and set aside.
- In a deep dish, mix the red crushed red pepper very well with the crushed garlic, paprika, the wine and a pinch of salt.
- Add the meat and mix well.
- Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- When you're ready, place the meat in a thick-bottomed pan together with the marinade.
- Heat the pan and add the lard or oil.
- Cook for approximately 10 minutes on high heat.
- Lower the heat and cover with a lid.
- Cook on a very low heat for 2 hours and 45 minutes, or until the meat is very tender and it peels off the bone, stirring gently from time to time.
- Rectify the salt and sprinkle with white and black pepper.
- Mix and cook for another 5 minutes over low heat.
- Remove the pan from the heat, let it sit with the lid on for 10 to 15 minutes, drain the fat and serve.
Recipe & Photo Credit: Mundo Azores
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Comments
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MattMy Grandma (Avoi) used to make this everytime I went there but my family refers to it as Tuhemge or something along the pronunciation as that. Has anyone heard of it referred to as that?2 Years ago, Saturday, July 29, 2023 -
MariaI’m from Aveiro my mom makes this and I do to but we call it Rejoes it’s cut in to chunks of pork sea salted to taste and let it sit for about an hour and then in a pot you add 2 bars of lard and cook it on low heat until gold and brown snd then remove from pot let it sit and drain fat snd then enjoy, Continentais chamam Rejoes 🇵🇹3 Years ago, Tuesday, May 16, 2023
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helen souzaI have my mother in law's handwritten recipe. They were from the island of Treceira. She had a heavy bottom pan, I use a Lecruset dutch oven. She seasoned hers with salt and cumin and pepper. Rubbed a good deal of Crisco on the dutch oven. Seasoned pork butt or shoulder cut into chunks. I've used meaty country style spare ribs also. Pour a little homemade Portuguese wine over and leave on counter for one hour. Cook low and slow in the oven. I actually like to put just a dash of cinnamon on mine.4 Years ago, Thursday, April 14, 2022reply
JeffreyI am surprised to see this comment left only a day ago. Came here looking for a recipe to surprise my Portuguese family with at Easter this weekend and torresemos were always our favorite. My grandma Lucille was also a Souza coincidentally and I came here looking for something like her recipe. Going to add the cumin and cinnamon like you suggested because I distinctively remember that seasoning in her dish. Thx!4 Years ago, Saturday, April 16, 2022
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AnnieMy mom used to make something she called/pronounced “treshums”… this seems like a close spelling toressmos , but she didn’t fry her pork and it wasn’t ribs. I think. It was pork butt or shoulder, cut into cubes, with pimenta moida, garlic that she marinated but baked/roasted in the oven. Anyone familiar with a recipe like this? It was sort of like a cacoila but it wasn’t that. Thanks.4 Years ago, Wednesday, April 13, 2022reply
Helen souzaYes my Hubby's family pronounces trishums also. His family and my son in law's family are from Treceira. They use a lot of cinnamon in their cooking. I suspect a holdover from being on the Spice Island route centuries ago. My family from deep in the Appalachia hollers could never afford cinnamon, it was very expensive. Hubby's family tossed it around liberally on very humble dishes. I bought pumpkin pie spice because it seems to give me the closest taste to my Hubby's mom's recipes. See my recipe above.
4 Years ago, Thursday, May 5, 2022
Hi Annie, you can use different cuts of pork to make torresmos, from what you wrote it seems to be what she did.4 Years ago, Wednesday, April 13, 2022 -
ClaudiaSounds like an awful lot of pepper: 4 tablespoons? Red crushed pepper, in addition to white pepper, black pepper!! Burned mouth and throat!4 Years ago, Wednesday, January 5, 2022reply
LucyFor 4 lbs of pork that’s a great amount of pepper. Portuguese food has flavour!4 Years ago, Thursday, February 3, 2022
The best thing about making food is that you can always cutback or add more of what you like Claudia, if you think it is going to be to hot for you, you can just do it to taste.
4 Years ago, Wednesday, January 5, 2022 -
JosephThis may be made ahead of time. Remove the cooked meat and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (up to 3 days). Pour the broth into a separate container and refrigerate. When chilled, remove the fat that has accumulated at the top. When ready to eat, place the meat into the same cooking pot previously used. Pour the cooking broth over the meat. Cover; heat at medium until the liquid is just at the bubbling point. Turn off heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.4 Years ago, Tuesday, January 4, 2022
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